9 Preaching/Teaching 1 Samuel - Jonathan
Notes
Transcript
A Character Study of Jonathan!
EOT-Jonathan displayed the greatest level of authentic friendship.
EOS-God calls us to next level friendship by following Jonathan's example
Christ Connection-Jesus is our ultimate friend
DDS-
Intro Story of Friendship-
You have a friend in me!
This comes from the famous movie Toy Story. But isn’t this one of our greatest desires to have a friend who is there for us in the toughest of times, who loves us no matter what.
Have you ever had a friend like this?
Have you ever been a friend like this?
I had a friend like this in high school. Our relationship got off to a Rocky start. It was the first time I was sleeping over at his house, and he had cats. Did I mention I was allergic to cats and literally sneezed uncontrollably all night. We would end up being like brothers. Inseparable. Where Coop was there I was, where I was there Coop was.
Friendship is hard and it is hard to find friends that you are that close to.
What kind of friend are you?
What kind friends do you have?
Today we are going to do a character study on Jonathan.
Who is Jonathan-
He was Saul’s Son, the next in line to be the King of Israel.
He was a courageous warrior
Then Jonathan said to the young man who was carrying his armor, “Come and let us cross over to the garrison of these uncircumcised; perhaps the Lord will work for us, for the Lord is not restrained to save by many or by few.”
The Lord can save by many or by few-
A mentor shared this verse with me, it encouraged me that no matter how big or small my bible study was, my church that even if just one person showed up God could take that person and make them a world changer.
But when we think of Jonathan the first thing we think of is not future king , courageous warrior it is Friend.
Today I have two hopes for you
You will have these kinds of friends in your own life.
You will become this kind of friend.
When we look at our vision-Renovating our city with God’s blue Print.
We desire to love God and love others.
Two spokes prayer and word are vertical.
The two horizontal spokes are fellowship: fellowship and evangelism.
The Bible tells us that we need to have authentic relationships.
Three relationships we should have include a Paul.
A Paul is a person who is discipling us.
But we are also to have a Timothy-a person we are discipling. But then we are also to have a Barnabas.
A Barnabas is a person who we are walking side by side with. This means that
Today we are going to look at two traits that Jonathan displayed to be an amazing friend.
1. The first trait (Jonathan Displayed) of Fellowship is sacrificial Love (18:1-5).
The question is not are you a friend it is what kind of friend are you?
Are you committed to seeing other people grow in Christ?
Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.
Saul took him that day and did not let him return to his father’s house.
1-2-Setting-Saul was getting jealous of David because of all the success he had.
v. 3-Sacrificial Love is a covenant.
Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.
Jonathan loved David as himself.
What in the world does it mean to love someone like yourself.
Jonathan actually used the word Covenant.
Great marriages are pictures of loving someone as ourselves.
Covenant has such a stronger connotation. It is what me and Heather committed to December 6, 2003.
My dearest Heather,
Today I am excited to begin a journey that will go until death do us part, because you are the girl of my dreams. By God's grace I vow to love and honor you for the rest of my life. And to love you as Christ has loved the church. I vow not to take you for granted. And to treasure you as my beautiful bride as long as we both shall live. I vow not to bring up divorce as an option, regardless of any difficulties we may go through. My desire is for you to be the only girl for me for the rest of my life. I vow to lead you spiritually, especially through prayer and God's Word. I vow to pursue you through disagreements, through sickness, and uncertainty...because I know we can work through these things, to make our relationship deeper and our faith stronger. I can't wait to spend my life with you. I love you.
I have not always lived these out but this is what I strive to do and what I want to do.
Heather's had similar vows-
This church would not have been planted if heather had not made a covenant with me.
I would have not gotten any post graduate degrees if heather was not my spouse.
I would not be of father of seven amazing kids.
Have you made a covenant to help with other believers.
Do you take fellowship this seriously?
Do you want to see others in this church grow closer to Jesus?
Church I have seen us be Jonathan’s:
Dear church family, I am so blessed by you all, my family came from a large church where we were happy with the sermons/messages. Then we met Pastor Law and their boys thru basketball, and decided to take a chance and visit. I must say that God brought us to you all at Renovation City. We were going to New Hope and never had the opportunity to connect with ladies and families like this. This church has been a blessing to Jacob and Jaida as well. Thank you all, for welcoming us so warmly. We are very grateful for all of you taking us in, with such love. ❤️🙏🏽
This week the Halls dropped off something to us for back to school and wrote these incredibly personal notes of encouragements.
We have Jonathan’s in this Church.
v. 4-5-Sacrificial Love gives.
Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt.
So David went out wherever Saul sent him, and prospered; and Saul set him over the men of war. And it was pleasing in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul’s servants.
Stripped himself
Think how easy it would have been for Saul to be jealous of David, remember Jonathan was supposed to be the next king. He gave his power, his identity to David.
“To receive any part of the dress which had been worn by a sovereign, or his eldest son and heir, is deemed, in the East, the highest honor which can be conferred on a subject (see on Esther 6:8).”
Part of me wonders if the reason that he gave that all up is because God said that his dad was no longer going to be king.
At our church we talk about giving our time, treasure and talent.
Jonathan gave his time treasure and talent to David.
We have to realize what a big deal this is.
Jonathan was to be the next King of Israel.
He gave that all up.
2. The next trait (Jonathan Displayed) of Fellowship is pointing others to God (23:16-18).
2. The next trait (Jonathan Displayed) of Fellowship is pointing others to God (23:16-18).
And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God.
The church is the only fellowship in the world where the one requirement for membership is the unworthiness of the candidate. — ROBERT B. MUNGER
The Navigators.
Our fellowship is centered in on Jesus
Illustration:
Heather has been a Jonathan to many people in her life. She has helped point people to God, I have seen her with students in time of crisis, who were broken, I have seen her point them to God. I have seen her with friends who had lost loved ones point them to God.
She has epitomized a Jonathan to many people.
Remember how I said we need to both be Jonathans and also have Jonathan’s in our life.
For over a week now we got some really bad and hurtful news, I am not going to unpack it today, but we have not slept well for the last week, and remember I am a hard sleeper.
I came home one night this week and Heather was tired, and was talking to Danni, i did not eaves drop for long but I heard Danni pouring scripture into her and sharing the truth of God’s word with her. We need to seek to be like Jonathan as a friend but we also need Jonathan’s in our life.
Do you have a Jonathan in your life?
Are you pointing others to God?
Thus he said to him, “Do not be afraid, because the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel and I will be next to you; and Saul my father knows that also.”
So the two of them made a covenant before the Lord; and David stayed at Horesh while Jonathan went to his house.
Draw out just how hard David’s situation was during this time. The most powerful man in the world wanted him dead.
Illustration of Gladiator-Scene where they have one common gaol: TO LIVe and if they did not stay together they would be killed.
If David did not stay close to Saul he would die.
GOSPEL
GOSPEL
Gospel-As great of a friend as Jonathan was, isn’t Jesus our greatest friend.
When we were enemies of his he left glory. Jonathan willingly gave up his kingdom, but Jesus left his throne.
Not only did Jesus leave glory he ended up dying on a cross and defeating death once and for all.
Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt.
Isn’t this what Jesus did when he came, he stripped himself of glory, left heaven, when he walked on earth he was all God and all men.
“… when Jonathan took off his robe (a symbol of the Israelite kingdom; cf. 15:27–28 …) and gave it to David (v. 4), he was in effect transferring his own status as heir apparent to him …”
“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
Today I want to ask have you recieved the gift of God?
Bringing it home:
Is there anyone today who received God’s gift for the first time?
Who is your Jonathan?
Who are you a Jonathan to right now?